Amalgamator



Aug. 27, 1940. G. oPlNcAR AMALGAMATOR Filed June 17, 1938 George Opzfzcczr:

I N V E NTO R ATTO R N EYS Patented Aug. 27, 1940 rATENT ortica d 2,212,698 s AMALGAMrgroRl v g y ist 'George Opincar, Blanca, Colo. l t ,i A

`Applicationzmn111938,seria1N0.z14,299 t n a: f .a Valumnus.`v (o1. 209-43) 1 E This invention relates to arnalg'amatorsl` and Inioreparticularly toa machine' or'apparatus of fthifsb'cl'iaracterfor'lusein-'the recovery of precious tinetaisgfsuch 'asfgold andthe like,ffrom crushed '"5 erorfpiaeer" arenal;

cs Th'e invention -has 'for its prime object to.' sini-v plify fandmake more'pra'ctical separatingand "iconcntrating apparatuses 'Wherebyto *get a betteriflsep'aration of the4 material and a-g-reater wattained Will hereinafter-""more fully' appear;

".'Thje`inve`nton cdnsistsfin the novel general ,5, Estructureandi'rthe parts and combinations and `l`5 arangementsif parts thereof;l as hereinafter dejscribedfand'iset" forth in the appended"c'laim's,`

l iindicates 'gene'iiallyrtheunder 'frame of thermal` 535 "schine-said frame being of tanyv suitable 'structure :and shown-"more: or v`less`- conventionally ascoinpris'ing-lA horizontal: longitudinally extendingY top rai1s-:ll mountedwon'uprights |2fand.,bracedy by diagonalfstaysjltf @no Mountedzon,-tnellunderfframe l ois inclined longitudinally extending sluice box, `designated bgenerallyhbyl the numeral- M, and comprising `a ytettona lj5l,fwhichiis; generally `flat throughout its length, and having side Walls I6, said sluice box as to -,certain., essential details which will be here# in? ter `morefully1 described.

Vafiidmore" valublerecoveryof the precious I'netal.l F Other-"particular objects andvadvantagesto be.

av practical'adaptationI ofV the being shown more or less,conventionally,except `to control the iiovvv of the material under treatment in the apparatus. l l y l- At the feed end of the sluice box is a traveling screen 2B, of endless belt type, said conveyor com- .Y

"prising a pair of side belt 'members 2| which arei cross connected `by a plurality otspaced barsk 22, one flight of the screen traveling over the top of the sluice box and the `other flight beneath'ethe box. The belt is supported at one side of the Il. fsluice box on a roller 23 jour'naled'in` bracketsfo 2d attached to the adjacent side Wall I6 of the box and at theopposite side of thebox on a roller elementi 25 fixed on a drive shaft 26, saiddrive shaft being journaled at' opposite sides of them endless screen 2li on bracket members '21 pro--'5 `vided therefor on the adjacent sideY Wall I6; *As `-shown, the shaft 26 is'providedwith a pulley 28, lwhichis connected to a suitable source of power (not shown) byra beltv 29, andffo'r operating other elements of the apparatus', to be later described,o20 :said shaft 25 is extended` infproxirnity to the rvdischarge end of the apparatus Where it is' jour- Y'naled in a 'supporting bracket 2l 'similar-to the brackets N22i which support the end portion of the'sh'aft on which the roller element 25 for'theztzs `endless screen 20 is" mounted. l Y Adjacent the feed end of the sluice box lll'and slightly overhahging the endless screenisfa delivery chute 39 for feeding the material to-Vv the .apparatus for'treatment, the'material: being re-vso ceived on Athe upper Hightof the`screeri'20pand such particles of the material which are not Vsmall enough to pass between the'bar's `22Y of the screen are carried by the upper night of the screen and discharged at one` side of the apparatus to135 beldisposed of as Wastematerial or used for 'any v commercial purpose forwhich'it isl suitable.` It is here noted that the materialinay be placed inthe usual pulpyand owablecondition by'the addition of Water or suitable liquidcompoundf 40 just priorrtov being fed into the sluic'e box or irnrnediately thereafter, andto Vsupply/the necessary -solutionvcontaining such ingredients- -as cyanide 'or certain acids generally employedin the `treatment ofthe material, atank 3l is located Vlaboves45 the "discharge end'of the'chute 3l! for containing `the solution, said tank being provided With a series `of pet cocks or other suitable valved `outlets'iS?. whereby the solution from the tank is permitted to drip upon the material as it passes 'from ythep5() chute 3b Aonto"tl'ietraveling screen 2U.`

As thelxnaterial deposited on the bottom oi ythe sluice box lll through the screen `2U iloWsfalong I ,thee sluice box, it passes iirstfover a` seriesqof p `transverse;riiiles 33 which j are in. the; forrnfgofL55 2 L" A 2,212,698 t tion of the disk 4| whereby the respective trap vertically disposed flat rib members or plates projecting upwardly from the bottom of the sluice box and extending from side wall to side wall thereof, said rifles projecting high enough from '5 the bottom of the sluice box to provide substantial abutments for the arrest of the heavier particles which are precipitated in the flowing pulp but permitting the lighter particles to flow on with the liquid content of the pulp for further treatment in the apparatus as will be presently described.

'Ihe accumulated material, which is arrested by Vthe riiiles 33, is discharged through openings provided therefor in the bottom of the sluice l5 box adjacent each of the rflles, said openings" being normally closed by trap doors 34 which open downwardly so as to discharge the material into a receptacle in the form of a pan 35 which is supported on the under frame l!! and is of a size so as to be common to all of said discharge openings in the bottom of 'the sluice box, said pan 35 being divided into separate compartments to receive thematerial from the respective discharge openings in the sluicevbox, or not, as may be desired. Obviously, while the discharge openings are elongatedand extend from side Wall to side 'wall of the sluice box, they are relatively narrow in width but sufficiently "wide to permit ready 'passage ,of the ,heavy particled material therethrough, there being preferably a floor space bev tween 'the' discharge opening and the riiiie next #ahead thereof.

The trap doors 34 may be opened periodically, eithermanually or automatically under pow- `55 er. For this purpose, each trap door is mounted `on a hinge rod or-shaft 3S, which projects at opposite ends beyond the adjacent side walls of the sluice box and is provided with vcrank arms 31, thecrank yarms `ofl the respective shafts 36 40, being connected 'by links .38 on each side of the sluice box, one of the links being operated by a hand lever 39, which is pivotally mounted, kas

at 4B, ori-the adjacent side wall I6 of the sluice box. 'I'he power means for operating the trap i doors 34, as shown, comprises a disk 4| rotatable at the side of the sluice box opposite to that on whichithe hand lever 39 is mounted, said disk 4|v havingafperipheral cam'projectionl 42 to engage the adjacent end of the connecting link 318 for the respectivecrank arms 31 on the ends of the hinge shafts 33 'for theV doors 34 at that side of the machine. The disk 4I is mounted on a shaft 43 journaled in bearings provided therefor on the under frame i8, said shaft having a' pulley 44 which is connected by a .belt 4.5 to a driving pul- 'ley '46 fixed on a shaft to be later described and having a'gear connection with the main driving "shaft 2B hereinbefore described.

" Beyond theseries of riilles 33l the sluice box 4 f 60 |4 is providedY with a series of transverse troughs A or ditches 41 in' its bottom', said troughs or ditches f being semi-'cylindrical in form and vextending from side wall to sidewall of the sluice box. Extending from end to end of each of the troughs 65 or ditches 41 is a rotatable retarding element 48 mounted on `a shaft 49 having a beveled gear 59 at its end in mesh with a similar gear 5| x'ed `on the driving lshaft 29, by which provision the several elements 48 are simultaneously operated,

and`in thisv connection, it vis here noted' that the driving pulley 46 for the cam disk 4| is mounted `on one of the shafts 49 so that the disk 4| rof tates simultaneously with the respective retardving elements 48 in the several troughs or ditches 1275 41 but with a' predetermined ratio in therota- A cial value.

ing,

doors 34 are intermittently opened to `discharge the heavier and larger particled material at regular intervals from in front of the riflles 33. y

The retarding elements 48, as shown, comprise 5 rods which are coiled about the respective shafts 49 and fastened at their ends and preferably at points throughout their length to the shafts so jas to rotate therewith, the diameter of the coils Y beingslightly less than thatyof the respective 10 troughs or ditches 41, said`A troiuighs or ditches being filled with mercury and the rotating spiral retarder elements 48 working as they do through the body of mercury not only collecting on their surfaces the flour or fine floating gold but also 15 forcingvlarger particles of the metal into the mercury, while the particles not thus retarded and .54"provided Vwith a multiplicity of Eradiali-pinsV 55, the shaft being driven by a mitengear connection with thejdriving shaft 25V similar to the U30 gears 50 vand 5| which drive the respective shafts 49 ofthe retarder elements'48.

Theendmos't trough or ditch 52 receives ,'any

uof` the mercury which may possibly'pass beyond 35 i 4 the next adjacent trough or ditch 41, the rotat-s,

ing retarder element 53 functioning'toeEective- -ly withhold the amalgamA in said trough 52v and recover such of theA freeA gold whichpasses beyond the several mercury-containing troughs `or ,l ditches 41,- while the tailings are discharged from 40 Vthe apparatus overa chute 56. i

From the foregoing it is obvious that'thereis `an effective separation ofthe coarser Waste particles of the material as fed initially yinto-themaj chiner and that'prior to the treatmentv of the ma- 43' terial in vtheseveral mercury troughs or` ditches -such of thematerial that accumulates against -the respective riilies 33 is discharged either manually and by automatic power means` intofareceptacle and the materiallso..discharged may be V50 treated by extraneous means for thejrecovery of such part thereof that may be of any commer- However, the prime,v `recoveries of value 'are from the amalgamgwhich is removed time and vagain from the' respective `troughs or T55 ditches 41 and 52` and from thefaccumulations on the respective retarder velements 48 and 53.

' Obviously, the general 'structure and parts of the apparatus may be modifiedin'many' respects fwithin' the spirit of the invention as dened byio the appended claims. The invention,'therefore,

is`not` limitedto the specic construction andl arrangement shown in the accompanying draw- `wher-is claimedis: g f65 l. In an amalgamating apparatusof the character described, a'vsluice `,box provideduwit'h `a series yof transverse riffles inwardly fromfthe material-receiving end-` thereof, said riilles being spaced afconsiderable distance apart'and the 13.01;@70

ltom. of rtheV sluice box havinggrelatively narrow discharge openings extending from vside to side of thebox, there being one of said openings next adjacent each rilliel atthe rear thereof,` the respective discharge openings being normally closed E75.,

by trap doors substantially flush with and completing the continuity of the bottom proper of the sluice box, connected operating means for effecting the simultaneous opening' oi said trap doors, power means operating to intermittentlyl engage said connected operating means and thereby effect the opening of the trap doors, and manually operable means for eiecting the actuation of said connected operating means to open said trap doors at will. s

2. In an amalgamating apparatus of the character described, a sluice box provided with a series of transverse riies inwardly from the ma- `pleting the continuity of the bottom proper of the sluice box, a subjacent common receptacle 1ocated beneath said sluice box in receiving relation to all of said discharge openings, connected operating means for eiecting the simultaneous opening of said trap doors, power means operating to intermittently engage said connected operating means and thereby effect the opening of the trap doors, and manually operable means for effecting the actuation of said connected operating means to open said trap doors at will.

3. In an amalgamating apparatus of the character described, a sluice box having a transverse semicylindrical mercury trough depressed in the bottom thereof, and a rotary retarder element working in said trough, said retarder element comprising an axial shaft and a rod coiled toform a helix surrounding the shaft concentrically in spaced relation to the shaft and with itsconvolutions spaced apart, said helix being attached to the shaft to rotate therewith and being of a diameter approximately that of the trough.

GEORGE OPINCAR. 

